Ramsey County History – Spring 2014: “Kisses in the Parks after Dark: Spooners in the News, 1921–1922”

Kisses in the Parks after Dark: Spooners in the News, 1921–1922
Author: Janice R. Quick

Author Janice Quick discusses the challenges that couples (spooners) faced when trying to find some privacy in the parks for hugging and kissing. The police were actually given orders to arrest such individuals who were “parking without lights” during the early 1920s, as there were many who found this practice appalling. Eighty-seven male drivers were arrested at various parks for this romantic crime from April 1921 through August 1922. The process of arresting these young men was problematic, as the police officers were typically either on foot or horseback. The police officer simply told the young men to report to the station. Typically, the offenders posted a bail of $3, $4, or $5.
PDF of Quick article